jojo41

Only my husband and 2 children (15yrs & 12yrs) know about my upcoming surgery. Because I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome I'm telling people that I'm going into hospital to have laproscopic surgery on my ovaries.

Mine was a combination of things. 1.One day I was grocery shopping with my 2 children and I was pushing a full trolley to my car when a man leant out the window of his car and yelled "no wonder you're fat, move your ass and you might lose 10 stone". 2. My husband and I went to the Great Barrier Reef and decided to go diving on the reef, we got to the boat and were asked what size wetsuit we needed. I asked for the largest size (an XL) and it didn't fit....I couldn't participate and had to sit in the boat whilst everyone else dived. 3. We went to the USA for a holiday and the seatbelt in the plane "just" fit but it was the most uncomfortable 13hrs of my life! 4. I went on a cruise on Sydney Harbour and had to sit in a booth, I was squeezed in so tighly that when I got home I had a bruise in the middle of my stomach wher the table had been. 5. I was the fattest person I knew and getting fatter every day.

My doctor/nurse and dietician have all agreed on 194lbs (88kg) being my goal/target weight but I would prefer to be a little lower 180lbs (81kg). I think I'll wait until I get to 194lbs before I decide. (at the moment ANYTHING under 200lbs looks good to me!)

5ft 7in (170cm) my goal is 180lbs (81kg)

This is why I haven't told my Mum about my upcoming surgery.....I'm sure she just won't understand and i don't want her making a big issue over it

I say....Go for it! If he is the only choice you have then I say ....Go for it! Don't let his inexperience put you off. I'm sure the surgeon will be great and if the aftercare is good then you should be fine After all, every surgeon has to start somewhere.

Don't be disheartened . When I first made my decision to have the lapband surgery I wanted itdone straight away. Then I discovered that my insurance would not cover the surgery so I had to "upgrade" my insurance . Then i was told there was a 12 month wait for my insurance to cover the surgery. It seemed to me at the time that 12 monts is an ETERNITY however 11 months have passed very quickly and I now have my surgery date for 17th July. Just remember.........Good things come to those who wait!

Lat night I saw a programme on TV and there was a segment about a "stomach balloon". Apparently it is very successfull ad becoming very popular in parts of Europe for weightloss. An Italian doctor placed a balloon inside an obese woman's stomach and then inflated it, therefore allowing just a small area for food. The patient had a "twilight" anaesthetic and the procedure took 15 minutes . There was no invasive surgery, just a gastro tube to feed the balloon into her stomach. Then when she loses the weight after 12months of maintaining her weightloss she goes back in and has the balloon removed. It looked great.....no surgery and in and out in a lunch break.

From what I've read Lapband Surgery is not as common in the USA as it is in Australia and Europe. Here in Australia it is the "preferred" form of WLS and has been for many years. I'm sure in a few years when the lapband procedure becomes more common in the USA it will be considered more acceptable.

Yeah....I think the 333lb model looks pretty good too! (no cellulite or stretch marks, no lumps and bumps in the wrong places, no sagging breasts or tummy)....I'd be VERY happy to look like that.

I had mine done with the dietician (nutritionist). She attatched electrodes to my feet and hands and ran an electrical current through me....don't worry, you can't feel it. The muscle conducts electricity and the fat blocks the electricity. Then she entered the data into the computer and gave me a printout of the results. I have no idea what it costs as it is part of my treatment but you could contact your dietician (nutritionist) and ask them if they do it. I'm sure you will find one near you who can do it for you.

I am having my surgery on the 17th July and on Friday had my first visit to the John Flynn Obesity Clinic (Qld,Australia). I saw the clinic nurse and the dietician and had a Body Composition Analysis test. Has anyone else had one of these? It was FANTASTIC!!!!:clap2: I learnt exactly how much fat, lean muscle tissue and Fluid I have in my body....this determined my metabolic rate and my target weight. I was amazed to find out some of these statistics: I am 5ft 7in (170cm) I weigh 276lbs (125.5kg) I have 138lbs of lean muscle!!! ( Being obese for over 5 yrs and having PCOS, which causes elevated levels of testosterone, has caused me to gain a huge amount of muscle mass.). My dietician told me that because I've been obese more tha 5 yrs (7-8yrs) I've been doing weight traing 24/7 just carrying all the excess weight around. I have 138lbs of fat!! (which means I am 50% muscle & organs and 50% fat) My aim is to have 25% fat so I have to lose half of my fat. If I don't lose any muscle mass my target weight is actually 195lbs (88kg) .....which means I have aprox 81lbs to lose.(as you can see below I want to lose a little more) If I do lose muscle mass (by not exercising as my weight decreases) then I will have more weight to lose. My BMR (basal metabolic rate) is 2070 cals a day which means I burn up this amount of calories a day just by breathing and resting. ( just goes to show how much I over eat!!) I have 71% fluid in my body (this is perfect as normal is between 69 and 74%). I must admit this test was a real boost for me as I had not anticipated that I had so much muscle....I thought I was ALL fat! My dietician has told me to throw away my scales as the amount I weigh is not an indication of success...it is the amount of body fat that I lose so I have to concentrate on retaining my muscle and losing 1/2 of my fat. As she said....two people can be the same height and weight yet one can be a size 10 and the other a size 14 .....it totally depends on their bone structure, muscle mass, fluid retention and fat mass. I think that many of you would agree that having been obese for a long time you really lose touch with your body. I know I often feel that I have no idea what is going on inside me. I would really recommend having this test done as it gives you a clear and realistic indication of what your body is like (under all the fat) and for many (like me) can give you a better understanding of how your body is working.

My clinic doesn't require me to pre-op diet either. I had my bloodwork done recently and it said I had a "fatty liver"....I was a bit concerened about this but when I saw the clinic nurse she assured me it was no big deal as 90% of people (fat & thin) have a fatty liver these days. My doctor has done over 7000 lap band surgeries and only recommends for his patients over 200kg (440lbs) to go on a pre op "liver shrinking" diet.

Sherri....stick with who you feel most comfortable with...you'll do great!

Good For you....I can't wait to get out of PLUS sizes!

CONGRATULATIONS:clap2:

My husband and children....that's it! I don't think I could stand the constant scrutiny if too many people knew.

I know how you feel JenMomTo3. I have been waiting for 10 months for my insurance. I am finally booked in for the 17th July and CAN"T WAIT!!!

Yes....I am very excited to be starting this journey and it's so nice to have someone who will be going through this at the same time. I know what it's like when you decide you want the surgery.....you want it NOW! I have been waiting for my insurance for 10 months and it's been the longest 10 months of my life. I hate to say this but......IGNORE your daughter!!! I'm sure she's just trying to be helpful because she loves you but this is such a personal journey and unless anyone has been through the anguish of failed diet after diet and having to carry all the excess weight around day after day then they have no idea what you are going through. It takes alot of courage to finally admit you cannot "do it" any longer and decide to have surgery.....so I say go for it! From what I've heard the Doctors in Mexico seem to be very competent and the fact that your Doctor has done 5000 LB surgeries more than speaks for itself. I have an appointment on Friday with the Clinic Nurse and Dietician and I will know then whether I will have to preop diet.....I'm a little nervous and embarrassed about the dreaded weigh in and body measuring but I'm sure a few minutes of being uncomfortable will be worth it in the end. Take care Jo

That's great news Sherri....what a great birthday present! My date for banding in July 17th so we will be going through this wonderful new experience together....my thoughts are with you so keep in touch! Jo

EmileeKaye....that's what I'm talkin about!!!! My hubby is 6ft 3in and 250lbs of man....just the perfect size for me.

We also bumped into Russell Crowe at Coffs Harbour last year and he was great and very friendly. My kids had their photo taken with him and he signed my son's cap. I think we must have caught him on a "good" day :girl_hug:

Me too. I am similar size 5ft7in 275lbs (125kg) My surgery date is 17th July and I am definitely scared that this surgery will not help and I will fail again. I think after years and years of dieting...failure, dieting...failure, dieting....failure that I am in that whole "dieting = failure" mindset and it's hard to grasp the concept that I might actually be successful this time. I'm trying to be positive be I also have the same fears.....so it must be totally normal. Good Luck

Paulax.....I'm with you!I love big men.John Travolta, Vince Vaughan, Russell Crowe (who can resisit a man in a Gladiator suit???) they all look like "real" men to me.I don't want a man who is skinnier and prettier than most women.

Nigella Lawson.....now this is a woman who is NOT afraid to eat. Here is a woman who is around 40yrs old who goes "in & out" in all the right places..... nigella2.bmp nigella.bmp nigella 3.bmp